‘Listen’

Published: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 7:12 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 7:12 a.m.

Hendersonville’s Howard Cook, joining the discussion on gun control, is looking for lawmakers to do the right thing. “I hope members of Congress get together on the gun law debate and react to public opinion,” he says. “I want them to listen to the people who elected them. I do think we need to limit the size of gun magazines, do better background checks at gun shows and work more to improve mental health care. But think about it. Who needs an assault weapon other than the police and military?”

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‘WHAT BUGS ME’: Mae Castilow of Bat Cave says the gun control crowd will never convince her to give up her assault rifle. “Yes, I have one, and I’m not one to be feared, but they’ll have to come and confiscate it. I would never just hand it over,” she says. “What about that woman whose home was broken into? She hid in the closet, and if she hadn’t had a gun and more than one bullet, she would’ve been killed. This is what bugs me: They say we should register our guns, but what about those on the street? They’re the ones we need to worry about. I’m a sharpshooter, and someone like me is not going to use a gun wrongly. People like me should be able to own an assault weapon. And you’ll never stop the criminals from selling and owning assault weapons.”

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SAYS CHRIS BURLESON of Columbus: “For all those in favor of gay marriage, let me help you out. In the Bible, the handbook for life, it says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.”

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‘ALWAYS GREAT’: The next time you’re choosing a place to dine out, Betty Malone of Hendersonville says you can’t go wrong with Fatz. “They have really good baby back ribs,” she says, “and the service is always great. You can’t go wrong with the chopped sirloin, too. And the prices are very reasonable.”

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‘NUTS BY THE FENCE’: There was a huge pecan tree by the cemetery fence. One day two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me,” said one boy. The bucket was so full, several rolled out toward the fence. Cycling down the road by the cemetery was a third boy. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you.” “Oh my gosh!” he shuddered, “It’s Satan and St. Peter dividing the souls at the cemetery!” He cycled down the road and found an old man with a cane, hobbling along. “Come quick!” he said, “You won’t believe what I heard. Satan and St. Peter are down at the cemetery dividing the souls.” The man said, “Shoo, you brat! Can’t you see I’m finding it hard to walk as it is!” After several pleas, the man hobbled to the cemetery and heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you, one ... .” The old man whispered, “Boy, you were telling the truth! Let’s see if we can see the devil himself.” Shivering with fear, they edged toward the fence, still unable to see anything, but they heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me. And one last one for you. That’s all. Let’s go get those nuts by the fence, and we’ll be done.” They say the old guy made it to town 15 minutes before the boy!

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LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Folks have seen and heard the Appalachian Fire Blue Grass band at venues from feed stores to restaurants to festivals in Western North Carolina, and the band is coming to Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville on May 4 for a 7 p.m. performance. Doors will open at 6:30. During intermission, refreshments will be available. A donation of $15 is suggested. The sanctuary is on Kanuga Road at Price Street. This concert will benefit the church’s outreach to promote its goal of a “world community with peace, liberty and justice, and the inherent worth of every person.”

<p>Hendersonville's Howard Cook, joining the discussion on gun control, is looking for lawmakers to do the right thing. “I hope members of Congress get together on the gun law debate and react to public opinion,” he says. “I want them to listen to the people who elected them. I do think we need to limit the size of gun magazines, do better background checks at gun shows and work more to improve mental health care. But think about it. Who needs an assault weapon other than the police and military?” </p><p>u </p><p>'WHAT BUGS ME': Mae Castilow of Bat Cave says the gun control crowd will never convince her to give up her assault rifle. “Yes, I have one, and I'm not one to be feared, but they'll have to come and confiscate it. I would never just hand it over,” she says. “What about that woman whose home was broken into? She hid in the closet, and if she hadn't had a gun and more than one bullet, she would've been killed. This is what bugs me: They say we should register our guns, but what about those on the street? They're the ones we need to worry about. I'm a sharpshooter, and someone like me is not going to use a gun wrongly. People like me should be able to own an assault weapon. And you'll never stop the criminals from selling and owning assault weapons.” </p><p>u </p><p>SAYS CHRIS BURLESON of Columbus: “For all those in favor of gay marriage, let me help you out. In the Bible, the handbook for life, it says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” </p><p>u </p><p>'ALWAYS GREAT': The next time you're choosing a place to dine out, Betty Malone of Hendersonville says you can't go wrong with Fatz. “They have really good baby back ribs,” she says, “and the service is always great. You can't go wrong with the chopped sirloin, too. And the prices are very reasonable.” </p><p>u </p><p>'NUTS BY THE FENCE': There was a huge pecan tree by the cemetery fence. One day two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me,” said one boy. The bucket was so full, several rolled out toward the fence. Cycling down the road by the cemetery was a third boy. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you.” “Oh my gosh!” he shuddered, “It's Satan and St. Peter dividing the souls at the cemetery!” He cycled down the road and found an old man with a cane, hobbling along. “Come quick!” he said, “You won't believe what I heard. Satan and St. Peter are down at the cemetery dividing the souls.” The man said, “Shoo, you brat! Can't you see I'm finding it hard to walk as it is!” After several pleas, the man hobbled to the cemetery and heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you, one ... .” The old man whispered, “Boy, you were telling the truth! Let's see if we can see the devil himself.” Shivering with fear, they edged toward the fence, still unable to see anything, but they heard, “One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me. And one last one for you. That's all. Let's go get those nuts by the fence, and we'll be done.” They say the old guy made it to town 15 minutes before the boy! </p><p>u </p><p>LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Folks have seen and heard the Appalachian Fire Blue Grass band at venues from feed stores to restaurants to festivals in Western North Carolina, and the band is coming to Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville on May 4 for a 7 p.m. performance. Doors will open at 6:30. During intermission, refreshments will be available. A donation of $15 is suggested. The sanctuary is on Kanuga Road at Price Street. This concert will benefit the church's outreach to promote its goal of a “world community with peace, liberty and justice, and the inherent worth of every person.” </p><p>Reach Lou Parris at 828-694-7836 or molehills@blueridgenow.com.</p>